This invention relates generally to mounting assemblies, and more particularly to a mounting assembly for the skirting of mobile homes.
For aesthetic reasons, a mobile home is usually finished with skirting around the bottom perimeter of the home. The skirting conceals from view the bottom support structure of the mobile home floor and the wheels and/or axles of the mobile home. A typical mounting assembly for mobile home skirting is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, generally indicated by the reference numeral 10. Skirting panels 11, typically made of vinyl siding, are attached to the mobile home 12 along its bottom and extend downward toward the ground into a mounting channel 13 fixed to the ground 14 by suitable means, for example, the spike 15 of FIG. 2. Panels are attached side-by-side with portions of adjacent vertical edges overlapping. A typical panel is generally square with opposite top and bottom horizontal edges and opposite left and right vertical edges. Typical dimensions are 2 feet.times.2 feet, but these could vary. The top edges of the panels are attached around the bottom perimeter of the mobile home according to various known methods. The bottom horizontal edge of each panel is provided with a projecting tab or protrusion 17 that holds the bottom edge in the channel as will be explained.
A mounting channel for mobile home skirting, known in the trade as a "ground channel" or "ground rail" is made of the same or similar material as is the skirting The channel is post-formed or bent into a channel shape or U-shape with the opening into an interior groove of the channel being positioned at the top of the channel in use. A front wall of the channel has a top edge that is bent over forming a lip 16 along the top edge that extends downwardly into the channel groove a short distance. When a skirting panel is inserted into the channel groove, the lip 16 passes over the panel protrusion 17 and serves to keep the mounting channel 13 in proximity to the skirting panel 11. As shown is FIG. 2, if the mounting channel 13 displaces vertically a sufficient distance, the lip 16 on the interior surface of the mounting channel engages the series of protrusions 17 or "button punches" on the lower edge of the skirting panel 11 to keep the mounting channel 13 from separating with the skirting panels 11. The "button punch" is typical of prior art panels and is formed by displacing a small tab or protrusion of the material of the skirting panel outwardly from the front surface of the panel as shown in FIG. 2.
This assembly of skirting panels and a mounting channel can be problematic. The vertical distance between the bottom perimeter of the mobil home from which the panels are suspended and the surface of the ground supporting the channels varies around the perimeter of the mobile home. This often results in the panel protrusion 17 being positioned well below the channel lip in the groove of the channel. Therefore, the connection between the panels and the mounting channels tends to be loose. As a result, the mounting channel often neither supports nor is supported by the skirting panels. This poor connection effectively decouples the structural integrity of the skirting panels and the mounting channels, which increases the possibility of and contributes to the mounting channel dislodging from the ground, causing the channel to move with respect to the skirting. Aside from this being unsightly, this may contribute to shearing of the skirting during heavy winds, rains and snows. Thus, the present mounting channels require continuing maintenance to preserve a pleasing appearance of the mobile home skirting and to ensure structural integrity between the skirt, the channel, and the ground.